Moscow: Nuclear weapons deal with U.S. is nearDefense News
President Obama and his Russian counterpart, Dmitry Medvedev, believe Washington and Moscow are close to reaching agreement on a new nuclear disarmament treaty, the Kremlin said. U.S. and Russian negotiators have been meeting in Geneva to discuss a successor to the 1991 Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START), a landmark Cold War-era nuclear arms pact that expired in December.More

Unmanned aircraft get smarterDefense Systems
Unmanned aircraft are becoming smarter, faster and stealthier in response to greater expectations for surveillance and attack missions. The demand has created an explosion of shapes, sizes and applications tailored to specific missions.More

Air Force Reserve to get C-17s at Wright-PattU.S. Air Force
Air Force officials will begin next year replacing 10 C-5 Galaxy aircraft with eight C-17 Globemaster III aircraft at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio. The secretary of the Air Force and the Air Force chief of staff approved the change March 12.More

Airmen expand hospital in ChileU.S. Department of Defense
At the request of local medical officials, airmen from an Air Force expeditionary medical support team expanded the mobile hospital in Chili to better meet the medical needs of the surrounding population. Along with members of the Chilean army, U.S. airmen are expanding the hospital to two operating rooms, six critical-care beds and four wards.More

Comfort returns to U.S. following Haiti missionNavy.mil
USNS Comfort navigated the Chesapeake as high-ranking flag officers and family members at Naval Base Norfolk, Va. enthusiastically awaited the hospital ship's return from its mission in Haiti supporting Operation Unified Response. Comfort left her homeport of Baltimore, Md. in record time after receiving orders to make best speed to Haiti to provide medical aid to victims of the 7.0 magnitude earthquake that struck Jan. 12. The ship's crew admitted their first patients three days after deploying and, following 49 days of operations off the coast of Port-au-Prince, had provided care to 794 Haitian nationals suffering from injuries ranging from crushed limbs to gangrenous wounds.More

New House chair oversees DoD cyber securityFederal News Radio
For the last several years, California Congresswoman Loretta Sanchez has been vice-chair of the House Homeland Security Committee, and chair of one of its key border security subcommittees. But recently, Sanchez added a new gavel - and new responsibility - to her portfolio. She has assumed the chairmanship of another House subcommittee that focuses on cyber-security, primarily at the Pentagon.More

Senate armed forces panel in good handsColorado Springs Gazette
James Webb D-Va., a take-charge senator who in his second year conceived and negotiated passage of the Post-9/11 GI Bill, made clear recently that he will continue to influence issues that impact the lives of service members, retirees, reservists and their families.More

Price of Lockheed's F-35 fighter soarsReuters
The average cost of Lockheed Martin Corp's F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, the Pentagon's costliest arms purchase yet, will soar more than 50 percent above what was projected when its development began nine years ago, the Pentagon's top arms buyer told Congress.More

DoD to resume education grants to military spousesThe Associated Press via Google News
Facing a phalanx of angry military spouses, the Defense Department said it will resume payments for college courses and job training for spouses who had already applied for grants when the popular program was abruptly halted last month. The official in charge of the year-old program that pays up to $6,000 for career advancement also apologized for suspending the grants without first notifying thousands of military spouses enrolled. He said grants were halted Feb. 16 because an unexpected spike in enrollment busted the program's $174 million budget.More

National Guard (In Federal Status) and Reserve Activated as of March 9, 2010U.S. Department of Defense
This week the Army, Navy, Air Force and Coast Guard announced a decrease in activated reservists, while the Marine Corps announced an increase. The net collective result is 1,999 fewer reservists activated than last week. At any given time, services may activate some units and individuals while deactivating others, making it possible for these figures to either increase or decrease.More